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Cases of the seasonal flu, RSV, and COVID have surged across New York since Thanksgiving — a convergence Northwell Health officials are calling a “tripledemic” as the holiday season reaches its peak.
Emergency departments, urgent care centers, and primary care practices across the state are seeing a sharp rise in viral infections, according to Northwell. RSV cases are up 35 percent, flu cases have climbed 30 percent, and COVID infections are up 15 percent statewide, based on New York State Department of Health data.
The flu is currently hitting New Yorkers the hardest. State data shows flu-related hospitalizations jumped 75 percent last week alone. Northwell Labs reports that more than 37 percent — about 11,000 — of PCR nasal swabs tested last week came back positive for influenza. During the same period last year, the flu positivity rate was 27 percent lower.
“After decades of working in our emergency departments, I don’t want to downplay this, but this is something we are very familiar with,” said John D’Angelo, president and CEO of Northwell Health, during a press conference Thursday. “This is the start of the flu season. The start of this viral season varies year to year, but the surge is something that we’re used to and we’ve managed over and over again.”
D’Angelo said it remains difficult to predict when the flu season will peak or how long it will last, but stressed that Northwell is fully prepared to manage the current influx of patients.
Annemarie Stroustrup, senior vice president of pediatric services at Northwell, said hospitalizations for the flu are currently split evenly between children and older adults. Stroustrup, who oversees Cohen Children’s Medical Center, said the hospital is already operating at capacity.
On a typical day, Northwell cares for about 2,800 hospitalized patients systemwide. On Dec. 18, that number surged by 700.
“Our numbers vastly underestimate how many cases are out there,” said Dr. Bruce Farber, Northwell’s chief public health and epidemiology officer. “Very few people get tested for the flu. Same with COVID.”
Farber urged residents to get vaccinated and said antiviral medications like Tamiflu remain effective for those who are sick or immunocompromised.
“We do have a new flu strain this year,” Farber said. “It’s not a perfect match for the flu vaccine. The vaccine is not the best vaccine we’ve had. However, it is very good at preventing hospitalizations and death. If you get the flu, it will likely be a lot less severe than if you were not vaccinated.”
“I’ve not seen a death in anyone who has been vaccinated,” he added. “I have seen plenty of deaths among the unvaccinated. Vaccine rates are rather low. It’s not too late.”
Northwell Labs can typically return test results within 24 hours. A three-in-one test, known as LabGold, can also detect flu, RSV, and COVID from a single nasal swab.
Residents looking to get vaccinated can check with their health care provider or visit their local pharmacy.
Top: Northwell Health physicians Annemarie Stroustrup, Bruce Farber, CEO John D’Angelo, and Dwayne Breining discuss the recent spike in flu, RSV, and COVID-19 cases. (Credit: Northwell Health courtesy photo)
